Every 1998-99 NBA playoff series, three ways: the season race carried on into the postseason, who beat their seeding, and the bracket.
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The same race these clubs ran all season, carried on through the postseason on one scale and on real dates.
Where each club finished the season against how far it went, ranked on record rather than seed.
Who played whom, round by round, which no line chart can say.
San Antonio Spurs won the 1998-99 title from a regular season record of 37-13. 16 teams reached the playoffs and the bracket ran 4 rounds. Every series below is taken from NBA.com; nothing on this page is estimated.
| Round | Won by | Result | Opponent | Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | San Antonio Spurs | 3-1 in games | Minnesota Timberwolves | May 9 to May 15, 1999 |
| First round | Utah Jazz | 3-2 in games | Sacramento Kings | May 8 to May 16, 1999 |
| First round | Portland Trail Blazers | 3-0 in games | Phoenix Suns | May 8 to May 12, 1999 |
| First round | Indiana Pacers | 3-0 in games | Milwaukee Bucks | May 9 to May 13, 1999 |
| First round | New York Knicks | 3-2 in games | Miami Heat | May 8 to May 16, 1999 |
| First round | Philadelphia 76ers | 3-1 in games | Orlando Magic | May 9 to May 15, 1999 |
| First round | Atlanta Hawks | 3-2 in games | Detroit Pistons | May 8 to May 16, 1999 |
| First round | Los Angeles Lakers | 3-1 in games | Houston Rockets | May 9 to May 15, 1999 |
| Conf. semifinals | San Antonio Spurs | 4-0 in games | Los Angeles Lakers | May 17 to May 23, 1999 |
| Conf. semifinals | Portland Trail Blazers | 4-2 in games | Utah Jazz | May 18 to May 27, 1999 |
| Conf. semifinals | Indiana Pacers | 4-0 in games | Philadelphia 76ers | May 17 to May 23, 1999 |
| Conf. semifinals | New York Knicks | 4-0 in games | Atlanta Hawks | May 18 to May 24, 1999 |
| Conf. finals | San Antonio Spurs | 4-0 in games | Portland Trail Blazers | May 29 to June 6, 1999 |
| Conf. finals | New York Knicks | 4-2 in games | Indiana Pacers | May 30 to June 11, 1999 |
| The Finals | San Antonio Spurs | 4-1 in games | New York Knicks | June 16 to June 25, 1999 |
The left column ranks this field by regular season record, not by seed number: seeding rules differ by era, so this site uses records everywhere instead. The right column groups clubs by the round they went out in, which is not the same as the number of rounds they won, because a bye carries a club further without it winning anything. The figure beside a name is places moved between the two columns, and part of it is only where a club sat inside its band. Nothing here is a prediction. The data notes carry the whole method.